The Dark Tournament
by Riter544
Summary: The Dark Tournament invites all mages to try out their powers against one another to find out who is the most powerful mage in all of Spira, and Lulu decides to enter. But what happens to the losers? [incomplete]
1. The Mage in Besaid

The sun shone brightly on the head of a particularly beautiful woman on the island of Besaid. The brilliant sun and bright colors of the island contrasted the simple yet revealing black dress of the woman. A small river of sweat ran down the side of her face carrying with it a purplish tint from her eye shadow. Her black hair covered most of her face, but there was still plenty of it behind her to braid that reached down to the ground. The sun also reflected off the purple beads that hung around her neck. Five Garudas swarmed around her in a giant circle. She noticed that one was about to strike.  
  
"Thunder." She barely whispered. A single bolt flew from the sky immediately and struck the Garuda instantly killing it. It flopped down to the ground and pyreflies slowly emerged from its vanishing corpse.  
  
Lulu sighed. Even her weakest spells were too much for these creatures. She had grown too powerful. Two other Garudas decided to attack her at once sending powerful gusts her way. She easily dodged them once again appreciating her decision to rid herself of the belts and fur. She could move much more easily in just the dress and so her agility and stamina grew as her magic did.  
  
"Blizzard." She cast on the two attacking Garudas and they vanished like the first. Becoming agitated at the weakness of all the creatures around her she suddenly cast, "Ultima." The blast completely obliterated the remaining two Garudas as well as some of the scenery.  
  
It wasn't like her to lose her temper like that but Lulu couldn't hold it in anymore. She slowly walked back to town without worry about monsters. She knew her Ultima spell had chased away most monsters in the area, and by now it was very rare for any monster to be foolish enough to attack Lulu.  
  
Is this it? Lulu thought. Is this as far as my powers can go? I feel that I can go further. But where is there a challenge? It's certainly not here... And for a brief moment Lulu considered leaving Besaid. But then reality set in. She knew she couldn't leave. That wouldn't be fair to Wakka or their children.  
  
Lulu finally arrived back in town and said hello to various people before entering her cabin and starting dinner. She lit the fire with a Fire spell but it was too powerful and made a small explosion which set the wall on fire. Lulu quickly put it out with a water spell but the force of the water nearly knocked down the shabby wall. Lulu sighed and lit the stove manually. She began to make a stew and by the time it was ready she heard Wakka and her three sons approaching.  
  
"That was a great practice today guys, ya?" Wakka said.  
  
"I almost kicked it straight Dad! Did you see me?" Lulu's youngest son Bron asked.  
  
"Ya." Wakka replied.  
  
"Hey, Dad! I think I'm getting better than Sanny!" the second oldest, Chak, boasted.  
  
"No you're not!" Sanny came back.  
  
"Oh yeah? Well I just mastered the Poison Shot, didn't I Dad?" Chak said.  
  
Wakka obviously still feeling the effect of the poison replied, "You sure did son."  
  
The four males entered the house at this point.  
  
"Hi Mom!" the three boys said together and began to inhale the stew. Wakka took a look at the new burn marks on the wall and gave a concerned look to Lulu.  
  
"How was your day, Lu?" He gave her a quick kiss.  
  
"Fine." She replied. But later on that night, after her sons were all asleep, she talked with Wakka. She had talked to him like this before. She told him of her powers, and the curse of everyday life, and the lack of a challenge. He simply nodded at these things. And when she was finished he said the same thing he always did, "Why don't you take a vacation? Go to other places and fill this challenge you're looking for?"  
  
"You know I can't do that. I can't just leave my children here. You couldn't take care of all of them alone. Besides, how would they feel knowing their mother left?"  
  
"It's not like you'd never come back."  
  
Lulu's mind flashed back to her parents, or what she remembered of them. She knew she had inherited her father's black hair from the stories her mother told. Her mother who was also able to summon magic from inside her. Her mother who had pushed her so hard to become a guardian and succeed where her mother had not, in protecting her father.  
  
"I won't leave."  
  
The next day there was gossip floating around the town. Someone had posted a sign on the old temple during the night and when Lulu heard of this news, she ran down to it. Vegetation had slowly taken over the temple over the last few years, but since it went unused, the temple remained the way it was.  
  
Lulu pushed up to the front and read the sign there.  
  
"Calling all mages." She read aloud, "Are your powers unparalleled? Do you wish to meet other mages like yourself? Are you up for a challenge?"  
  
The word stuck in her mind: CHALLENGE. She read on.  
  
"Then enter in the Dark Arts tournament. Participants will face each other in battle, where only magic will be allowed. The victor will be named the most powerful mage in all of Spira and receive the ultimate grand prize! Enter now!"  
  
Time seemed to stand still for a moment. This is exactly what I've been waiting for! Lulu thought, A chance to match my magic against the magic of others like me.  
  
But then reality set in again. She couldn't leave her family behind. And with that depressing thought, Lulu slowly walked back to her home. Wakka, who had already seen the notice, was waiting there for her. He noticed her depressed look.  
  
"You're not going to enter are you?" he said.  
  
"You know I won't and why." She replied.  
  
"Listen, Lu." He stood up, "You are going to enter. I don't want to hear another word about it. This is what you've wanted for a long time now! And how can anyone call this a contest when the mage who helped Yuna defeat Yevon won't be there! The majority of people who enter this contest will do so to see how they size up against you!"  
  
Lulu stared at him. She knew he was right. "But...the kids..."  
  
"I've battled all around the world. I think I can handle our children on my own for a bit. This way, we'll all know where you are, when you're coming back, and you get to fight the way you've needed to."  
  
Lulu stood there taking it all in. Wakka moved in closer and kissed her. Then he stepped back and said, "Go get 'em Lu." 


	2. Arrival at Luca

Before Lulu knew it, she had arrived in Luca, where the Tournament was taking place. She departed from the boat, noticing that the docks were unusually crowded with people. Even blitzball hadn't drawn a crowd like this in a while. Lulu stood off to the side, never needing to be the center of attention. However, her presence was soon noticed and several people came over to speak with her.  
  
Lulu was in no mood to discuss Yuna's pilgrimage yet again to a whole new set of strangers and instead made her way to the stadium. On her way, Lulu noticed that she was not the only one receiving attention. She passed by a group of women who were nearly throwing themselves on a young man with flaming red hair that was spiked up and seemed to move like a flickering candle. Lulu almost felt mesmerized by the fire that burned in his eyes, but she continued on.  
  
"Yes, I specialize in fire magic – it's the most powerful magic there is." Lulu heard him say.  
  
What arrogance! Lulu thought. Now everyone knows what type of spells he prefers. Only an amateur would take the competition here lightly.  
  
Lulu's presence was still noticed and many people followed her into the stadium. A voice echoed over the crowds.  
  
"Will all mages please report inside the stadium!"  
  
The message was repeated three times and everyone piled into the stadium. Lulu felt very crowded being surrounded by people on all sides. It was at this point Lulu remembered why she didn't like going to blitzball games to watch Wakka play. People made her feel uncomfortable, and Lulu didn't like random people coming up to her to talk about Sin's final defeat. She wished she could just sail back into ambiguity and let everyone else take the credit.  
  
A familiar person suddenly appeared above the crowd. Lulu recognized him as the summoner Isaaru, a man that she had met several times during Yuna's pilgrimage.  
  
"Greetings mages!" Isaaru called out, "Welcome to The Dark Tournament, where the most powerful mage in all of Spira will be named!"  
  
The crowd cheered all around Lulu. She wished Isaaru would hurry up and finish his speech.  
  
"My name is Isaaru, and I am in charge of this tournament. But before the tournament can begin, we must first weed out the magicians from the mages. Each participant will face a monster. Based on their performance in battle, the top 64 mages will move on to round 2 with one-on-one battles." The crowd cheered again.  
  
Only 64 mages? That's a very small percentage of the people present here. Lulu thought, doubt sinking in. What do I care? If I can't defeat a single monster, then I don't deserve to be here.  
  
"All entries must now go register to receive their rooming assignments and their specific time and place to face their monster." Isarru said, "Good luck!"  
  
Lulu remained stationary as the crowd passed by her. She was in no mood to remain with such a great amount of people. Finally the majority of the crowd was gone and Lulu felt like she could breathe again. She sat down in one of the seats and relaxed. She felt the withdrawal of her family already and the pressure of the tournament was already weighing down on her.  
  
What kind of monster will I face? Will it be as easy as the Garudas? Lulu breathed heavily trying to shake the nerves out of her. It wasn't like her to lose her cool.  
  
Lulu ignored the doubts in her mind and stood up. She walked outside and to the registering table. Most of the participants had entered already and there was almost no one there. She had just finished registering when a young girl walked up to her.  
  
"You're Lulu aren't you?" she asked.  
  
"No." Lulu lied and began to walk away.  
  
"Yes, you are." The girl pressed, "You look just like my mother."  
  
"Oh really?" Lulu said uninterested.  
  
"You act like her too. She told me to ask you something if I found you here."  
  
"And what's that?"  
  
"Why didn't you ever go look for your little sister? Didn't you care about her?"  
  
Lulu stopped dead. She looked down into the now angry face of the young girl. Lulu recognized the small moogle doll that she carried with her.  
  
"My sister made her own decision. She decided to go off with that man, what business was it of mine?" Lulu responded, "And besides, with the exception of the pilgrimage, I have remained in the same place my entire life. If she wanted to see me, she'd have no problem finding me."  
  
The girl was still very angry. She opened her mouth to say something and Lulu could feel her magic rising.  
  
She's about to cast a spell! Lulu realized.  
  
"Before you attack me," Lulu said, "You better understand the consequences of your actions."  
  
The girl's magic attack power continued to rise, but she turned and walked away without casting any spells. Lulu watched her leave. The girl did indeed resemble her mother and she obviously inherited her temper also. Lulu's sister was the opposite extreme with regards to emotion than Lulu, however. Lulu was always under control, her exterior always the same, no matter the situation. Her sister was very emotional, and those emotions were always very apparent. But as Lulu watched her niece continue on, she remembered feeling the girl's power rise as her anger did, and for a second, she thought about how emotions could possibly play a bigger role in magic than she had suspected. But her thoughts were soon interrupted.  
  
"Lulu!" the voice called. Lulu turned to see Isaaru approaching her, "Lulu, how are you? It's been a while."  
  
"Hello Isaaru." Lulu stated, "I'm doing well. How are you?"  
  
"I'm fine."  
  
"So, you are the coordinator of this Tournament?" Lulu asked.  
  
"Yes," he replied, "Once the Eternal Calm settled, there's not much for an old summoner to do. Luckily, this idea hit me and the Council supported it."  
  
Lulu remembered back to the formation of the Council. A representative from each area came together to rule the planet where Yevon had left off. So far it had been successful in uniting the planet.  
  
"Isaaru!" someone called.  
  
"Looks like I'm needed." Isaaru said, "I'm looking forward to seeing you battle. Good bye."  
  
Lulu watched him leave before making her way to her assigned room. It was lavishly decorated and spacious with only one bed, its own bathroom, and a sitting room overlooking the ocean. A note lay on her massive bed from Isaaru, saying that he had predicted her arrival and based on past actions (namely his attack on Yuna and her guardians), he felt that he owed her this room. Lulu smiled for the first time all day and lay down on the bed. She closed her eyes taking in the comfort of this bed in comparison to the one that she and Wakka shared. Not to mention Wakka's snoring and the sounds of her sons fighting in the other rooms.  
  
Lulu had the feeling that she was going to enjoy this tournament. 


	3. Round 1

Lulu lazily opened her eyes to see an unfamiliar ceiling. It was painted red and appeared flowery. Lulu suddenly remembered where she was and sat up in the bed, Isaaru's note still close by. She glanced outside and located the sun's position.

I'm going to be late for round 1! Lulu thought and raced off to her location. Deciding that she would still be late no matter how fast she ran, Lulu tapped into her white magic reserves and cast Haste on herself. The scenery raced past her as Lulu ran faster and faster. She came to a quick stop in the center of Luca where a massive Sand Worm waited asleep along with Isaaru and another smaller man Lulu didn't know.

"Hello, Lulu." Isaaru said, "You sure cut it close. We almost had to disqualify you."

"I'm here." Lulu said a little breathlessly. She wished she could fully wake up and slow her breathing before the battle, but the smaller man suddenly hit the Sand Worm with a stone waking it up.

"Your battle will now begin." Isaaru said above the Sand Worm's roar.

Having previously fought Sand Worms before, Lulu raced off around the Sand Worm to its rear, knowing that Sand Worms couldn't move well above ground. Lulu cast a quick Scan spell and discovered that this Sand Worm had an unusually high health point and no elemental weakness. This didn't worry Lulu however.

"Waterga!" Lulu cast and the massive water attack crashed down on the monster. Lulu figured that the Sand Worm wouldn't be used to water being that it was from the Sanubia Desert. However, the water attack sent the monster into a rage. It began to thrash about knocking into stores and finally landing a hit on Lulu, sending her flying backwards. She landed hard, but before she knew it, Lulu was up in the air flying towards the Sand Worm.

Lulu was sucked up and into the Sand Worm and then swallowed down into the digestion system. She was disgusted by the wet and warm insides of the Sand Worm and her mind instantly traveled to her previous battles. This had happened to her before, and she remembered passing out from something the Sand Worm released deep inside itself as the stomach acid began to digest her.

A spray shot at her face, entering her lungs and she immediately felt drowsy as panic set it. In her previous battles, she could always count on someone on the outside to defeat the monster before she was digested and lost forever. But the small man obviously had no power and who knew if Isaaru had grown powerful in time.

I may die. Lulu thought. Her thoughts instantly raced to Wakka, to her sons. She pictured their faces as Wakka told them they would never see their mother again. And then she watched as each of their faces transformed to her own as a child. Still feeling drowsy, Lulu let her panic, her anger, her desperation fill her body. And then she screamed, "ULTIMA!"

The blast exploded from her body, completely ripping the Sand Worm apart and sending chunks of its flesh raining down all around Luca's center. Lulu fell to her knees still feeling drowsy and weak and breathing hard. She looked down to her feet that burned from the acids inside the Sand Worm. She cast a Cure spell on herself, but it barely helped her drowsiness.

"Lulu!" a voice called in her ear, "Lulu, are you okay?"

Lulu looked up into Isaaru's face and nodded forcing herself to stand. She looked around at the many onlookers her battle had drawn and how they were all covered in dark Sand Worm meat. A large chunk still lay at her side which appeared to be a portion of the Sand Worm's mouth and back.

Lulu shook the drowsiness from her head and tried to clear it, now removing thoughts of her orphaned children.

"Are you sure you're fine?" Isaaru asked.

"Yes." Lulu replied simply. She didn't exactly feel like saying much else.

"Well, I will admit that that was impressive." Isaaru said, "I've overseen many battles today, not to mention all those battles I saw on my pilgrimage. And I've never seen a monster torn to pieces by magic like that before."

"Thank you." was all Lulu could say. A smell was beginning to rise from the open meat. She turned to leave desperately desiring another nap.

"The results will be posted in two days time." Isaaru called after her. Lulu continued to walk on ignoring the stares from the other mages. All she wanted was to sleep. Before she knew it Lulu was standing in front of her room again, fully aware that only about thirty minutes had passed since she had awoken in this room. However, Lulu felt as though a hundred years had passed and she climbed on top of the bed and passed out.

Lulu woke in the middle of the night. She rolled over and half-expected to see Wakka deep asleep beside her, but he was, of course, not there. Lulu ignored the fatigue that pulled at her and instead rose and walked to the balcony. She enjoyed the cool breeze that wafted by and then heard the cries of spells in the distance. A small explosion went off to Lulu's right and she walked back into her room.

Deciding to take a stroll Lulu left her room and slowly walked down the hall. She had barely left the building when her name was called.

"Lulu!" a familiar voice yelled and Lulu watched a portly little man run up to her with a large pack on his back and a silly small hat on his head.

"O'aka," Lulu smiled, "It's good to see you again."

"Same here." O'aka said, "What are you doing out at this hour?"

"Just going for a walk." Lulu answered.

"I'd be careful if I were you." O'aka told her with a serious look on his face. Lulu was surprised by this sudden change.

"Why?"

"Everyone knows that you are the favorite to win this competition." O'aka said solemnly, "Most of the mages here are trying to get famous by defeating you, making most of them very hostile. And the rest of them don't think that it's very fair of you to enter. They feel that some other mages deserve some attention. Just be ready to protect yourself in case a bunch of them decide to hold an unofficial match, if you catch my drift."

"I always watch my back."

O'aka laughed heartily, "I wouldn't expect anything less from you Lulu." He turned to go, but then stopped. "I was thinking of selling this and making a good deal of money off it. But I want you to have it instead."

O'aka pulled his sack off his back and fished around for something. He pulled out an ancient book and presented it to Lulu. She read the cover.

"Magic for Dummies. O'aka, what is this?" Lulu gave him an icy stare.

"I know; it looks stupid. But I looked through it before buying it. It mentions some spells I've never heard of as well as 'magic manipulation' whatever that is. If anyone can figure out those different spells and master magic manipulation, you can."

Lulu thanked O'aka for his kindness and watched him leave before tucking the book under her arm and thinking of how best to contact Yuna to show her this sad excuse for a spell book. Even Yuna could tell the difference between a serious spell book and a joke such as this.

Lulu walked back to her room, no longer in the mood for a walk. She laid the book on the bed and walked back to the balcony. However, curiosity soon overcame her and she sighed and opened the book. The moonlight shone brightly that night and Lulu didn't need to light a torch to read.

She skipped over the first few chapters that discussed how to cast spells and some basic types of spells. She came to the chapter talking about magic manipulation.

"Magic does not just summon spells," Lulu read aloud, "Manipulation can be used in magic to mold the spells into helpful shapes and forms."

What a load of crap. Lulu thought, closed the book, and tossed it back into the room. Lulu walked back over to the bed and curled up on it again. Sleep pulled at her again and she slowly drifted off with O'aka's warning still running through her mind.


End file.
